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When Penelope discovers an old trunk in the attic of her home, her curiosity leads her to check its contents. She finds a beautiful, but dusty, opal pendant and is delighted with her find - not realising how much it will affect her life.

When Penelope Townes discovers a long-forgotten old trunk in the attic of her decaying mansion home, her curiosity leads her to check its contents. In it, she finds a beautiful, but dusty, opal pendant and is delighted with her find - little realising how much this small gem will affect her future life (and that of her mother as well).—David McAnally <D.McAnally@uq.net.au>

When upper class English girl Penelope finds a magic opal containing two Australian genies, Bruce and his son Baz, she thinks all her problems are over. But Bruce has other ideas. He and Baz trick Penelope into wishing her family to Australia at every opportunity. Penelope hates Australia and is constantly trying to get back to England. It's a comedic battle of wills and a clash of cultures, as Penelope learns that there is a difference between power and wisdom.

The honourable Penelope Townes is a 13-year-old aristocrat. She lives with her widowed mother, Lady Diana, and their housekeeper, Miss Mossop, at Townes Hall, a stately but crumbling mansion in Wiltshire, England. When Penelope discovers an Australian genie called Bruce and his son Baz, a junior genie, who offers to make all her wishes come true, she naturally expects her family fortunes to improve. They do... sort of.

Bruce is the Genie of the Black Opal which Sir Claude, Penelope's great, great, great grandfather, brought back to England from Australia last century. And Bruce and Baz have languished inside the opal, at the bottom of a trunk at the back of the attic, for 131 years. Penelope is the last of a long line of masters who have given Bruce and Baz a hard time over the centuries. Masters deserve to be tricked and foiled at every opportunity.

Penelope and Bruce are personality opposites. Bruce is as laid back as Penelope is proper. Penelope has the power and Bruce has the magic. Bruce must grant her wishes, but he can interpret their intent to his own advantage. And Junior Genie Baz is always keen to help out his dad with a wish. So when Penelope wants to be rich, Bruce promptly transports her 'Down Under' where she has inherited Townes Downs, 800 square kilometres of Australian outback. Penelope hates Australia and is constantly trying to get back to England. Bruce and Baz, of course, think Townes Downs is heaven on Earth. Nearby there's a special place where the opal was found, over a 1,000 years ago. If Bruce can get back there, with the opal in his hand, he can set himself and his son free. In 1853, Sir Claude won the opal from one Hans von Meister. Sir Claude became rich and von Meister became resentful. That resentment has been inherited by Otto von Meister and his 16-year-old nephew Conrad. They believe the Black Opal is rightfully theirs. They run "Crocodile Otto's Outback Experience" - a tour business that covers a lot of Townes Downs. When Penelope returns to reclaim the station, Conrad and Otto see the opal and realise that they have a chance to regain their lost treasure and their family pride.

The Genie From Down Under pits master against slave in a comedy about a battle of wits and wills and a clash of cultures. Bruce and Baz can't be free but Penelope can't quite control either of them.